The first erased place in the spreading maps of cities is often a pond. Sometimes ponds built in the middle of the villages and towns used to be the center of life -worship, marriage, Teej -festivals, sports, watering, bathing animals -everything was around them. But today the same ponds are pressing under concrete settlements. The urban development of the cities has forgotten the importance of traditional water structures. The land mafia and real estate lobby have considered them an empty piece of land. And when there is silence or collusion of governance and administration, these ponds gradually disappear from the map. First are filled, then filled with sand and debris, and is eventually plotted. This plot turns into a shop, house or shopping mall over a few years. Water, which was once there, now wanders from there and enters the settlements. This encroachment drops ground water level, rain water does not stop and the city groans with water logging. The dying of the pond is not just the end of a natural resource, but also a cultural death. And the irony is that this death is happening in front of our eyes, with our consent.
Examples of this story of encroachment are scattered across the country, in which the negligence of the administration and local pressure are clearly visible. A case of Sundarwal village came to light in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, where shops were built in broad daylight on the land of the government pond. Local people protested, but the revenue department remained silent. A historic pond located in Meerapur locality of Ayodhya was almost completely shifted. Construction has now been done in 90% part. The 120 bigha pond in Nahtaur town of Bijnor district was illegally occupied for years, which was recently freed by the administration. These incidents suggest that encroachment is not only with the need of the poor, but with the strength of money and recommendation. Somewhere the pond is captured on the pretext of building a school, and somewhere the wall is erected by giving the name of the park. And then that wall turns into pucca construction from year to year. It is a matter of regret that the documents in which the ponds are recorded, the administrative record is also rejected. This proves that only honest citizens lose the paper fight, not the land mafia.
The ponds are not occupied only at the ground level, it also breaks the water cycle. A pond which was previously a water boundary center of the village or township, has now become a dumping yard or a pit of sewage. When we bridge the pond, we eliminate a natural collection site of rainwater. This stops the ground water recharge, and people’s hand pumps, wells and boring start drying up. Increasing incidents of waterlogging in cities are also associated with encroachment of ponds, because earlier the water that used to stay in the pond, now it flows on the streets. Waterborne diseases grow, mosquitoes thrive, and the health of local residents deteriorate. Apart from environmental imbalance, it also brings social disintegration – because the place on which the community used to gather has now become private. Children no longer play with the pond, but roam in the parking of the mall. The deep connection between nature and human beings was broken through the ponds. And once it is broken, it is not easy to re -add it. Therefore, this crisis is not only geographical, emotional and social.
The administration’s silence is the most dangerous layer of this crisis. When complaints are filed, they are deferred as ‘old case’ or ‘pending in court’. The files from Patwari to the District Magistrate run for months, but action is not taken. Many times, the identity of the pond is erased from the government records – either it is recorded ’empty land’ or declared ‘Araji’. This is the administrative move that changes the ownership of the land. The ponds are filled with connivance with local leaders and officers, and the land map changes. This is the reason that today’s ponds have remained ‘story’ in most cities and towns of India. Children ask: “What is a pond?” And we show the picture. It is a cultural emptiness, which is quietly flourishing around us. And when the society loses its memories, its future also becomes blurred. So the question is now not only from the administration but also from all of us – what are we losing?
Still there are some rays of hope left. In some districts, the ponds have been rescued by the initiative of conscious district magistrates, social workers and local people. Gonda DM Neha Sharma removed the encroachment from the land of the pond and restored it as a public place. In Noida, 1.93 lakh square meters of land was encroached, including several ponds. Similarly, Ramveer Tanwar, known as ‘Pondman of India’, revived more than 100 ponds with his efforts. These examples tell us that if there is willpower, the ponds can be revived. Social participation, transparency and local monitoring may be the backbone of this movement. But this is possible only when this feeling is not limited to environmentalists, but also becomes a concern of ordinary citizens. When people ask – “Where did this pond go?” – And then go ahead and say – “We will bring it back.” Only then any change is possible.
Finally, the protection of the ponds is not only a question of water management, but a question of our culture, heritage and rights of future generations. This encroachment is not only a story of land grabbing, but a conspiracy to eradicate the memories of a civilization. If we still do not warn, then in the coming years, children will find ponds only in books – like today the civilization of the Indus Valley is found. We have to understand that the pond is not just a source of water, the basic basis of social unity, tradition and environment. The administration will have to adopt a strict policy, prepare a digital map of the ponds and make it public, and every illegal construction will have to be punished. At the same time, we have to spread the consciousness through education, dialogue and collective efforts that “Save the pond” is not just the slogan, not. If we really imagine a lively society, we have to revive its ‘water source’, not ‘water consciousness’.
